Monday, December 31, 2012

New Year Meal Prep - Cooking w/ Tom Murphy

I'm going to eliminate all the guess work and show you exactly how to prep your meals for the coming week.
I try to do this every Sunday and again on Thur.




i
This week's meals consisted of:

Grilled Chicken
Brown Rice or Sweet Potato
Broccoli

Spinach


Boiled Eggs
Oatmeal
Blueberries
Almonds

Greek Yogurt
Protein Powder
Mixed Fruit

Monday, December 3, 2012

30 MIn GET IT IN and GET OUT ! Workout

Here is a sample workout routine I came up with this morning for one of my morning clients.

Great job Linda! 
She just got started on a 3 time a week program for weight loss.
We are not going to be focusing on her weight however. 
We are checking her progress by measuring her body fat.

Full body workouts using progressively heavier weights with cardio added in as well will be the plan for now while she is still getting acclimated to the endurance aspect.
For the first few months we will be doing higher reps (15-20)
with little to no rest between exercises.
I am giving her about 30 seconds of rest after completing each set of 3 exercises 
before repeating the tri-set again.

Linda proves she has what it takes in these videos!
I am excited to see her results!
As you can see, she pushes herself hard and completes every rep or DIES TRYING!
This is the intensity required if you really intend to get results.
Check back soon for an update!













Friday, November 30, 2012

Colony Square HEALTHY MEAL PLAN

BREAKFAST

Chik-Fil-A
Breakfast burrito (grilled chicken/no cheese) - SPECIAL ORDER (takes 5 min longer)

Goldberg's
Egg Whites / Spinach / Oatmeal



Highland Bakery
Egg White Omelete / red peppers / onions
Potatoes

Rocko's
Egg Whites / Spinach/Oatmeal


LUNCH
Shout
All you can eat sushi Shout $10 - 11:30 -2:30
(Salmon/Avocado, California, Spicy Tuna)

European Kitchen
Grilled Chicken Salad (Spinach,Chicken,Boiled Egg, Veg)

Chik-Fil-A 
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Chargrilled Wrap
Grilled Chicken Salad
Grilled Chicken nuggets

Tin Drum
Special Order - Steamed chicken/broccoli/rice


Mandarin Chicken - no sauce
grilled chicken/brown rice/broccoli/peas/carrots




Healthy Menu for area - Article 14 / TAP / Holmstead / Highland Bakery
DINNER




Tuesday, November 20, 2012

STIMRX.com PHOTO SHOOT

Nov. 18th......Man that was a long time waiting!

I finally had my photo shoot this past Sunday at Colony Square Athletic Club.


I have been prepping for this for way too long. The last photographer I had booked had his camera knocked off of the bench during the shoot prior to mine. He was very professional and apologetic about  having to cancel and offered to do a free 2 hour shoot for me when he comes back into Atlanta in Feb.

THANK YOU! 
I will gladly take that offer and look forward to it!

However, I have been dieting and doing 2 a days for longer than expected and I'm ready to EAT! (more on that later hahahaha)

We scrambled for a new photographer at last minute since I was already cut down and didn't want to waste the opportunity. I honestly don't like being this light in weight. Yeah the abs look good but with that you must sacrifice some size. My next go around I'm going to tweak things to try to minimize this....
I am still learning a lot about this business and how to manipulate my body for different looks...

Anyway, we were able to get a hold of Damian Aching to shoot in a week and come in on Sunday.
I checked out his website and was impressed by his work so I was very happy to get him...


Once Damian and Amanda arrived and began setting up for the first shot, I knew I was in good hands! AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHERS!!!

The shoot was split half and half for my personal shots and shots for Stimrx.com and their products.
We finished the stimrx shots first. Man, I hope my smile wasn't too cheesy in these pictures! After awhile, your lips begin to twitch from holding it! lol
I couldn't help but see my girl... ahem ... FRIEND laughing in the background! (Long story :)
You might have seen me in previous Stimrx ads. Here is an ad they are about to run in Muscle & Fitness. LOL...Yeah I know... laugh all you want!


Here is a picture of Chris and Tara Garvey, the owners of Stimrx.com and Colony Square Athletic Club. (The coolest bosses you could EVER want!!! I feel blessed to have the job I have!) 





As the shoot progressed I was really impressed with their work! These 2 knew how to get some amazing shots and had some really awesome ideas for angles and lighting! I got to see some previews on their camera and I could already tell I was going to be very happy with the end results. These pictures here do no justice at all, I promise! I felt a little weird doing the chain shots since I'm not a big guy right now but I think I can use a few. Mostly this shoot was to capture my conditioning, which should show really well in the boxing and tug a war pics we got.









Should be 4-6 weeks before I get the final pics....Stay Tuned!

NEXT UP....GET SOME WORK AS A FITNESS MODEL!!!!!


LMAO!!! Here is an ooolllllldddd clip of one of the units in action!



Saturday, November 17, 2012

Top 10 GYM PET PEEVES

WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM EVERYONE ELSE IN THE COMMENTS!


1 - People who turn my keys into the front desk after I leave them next to a a machine I'm getting back to! Then I run all around the gym trying to find them....I know you think you are being helpful, but you're not.

2 - People who wear the exact same outfit every single fricken day they workout!
Talk about OCD...and usually they don't smell so these people are actually doing laundry every night as well!
Lucky shirt ?!?LOL

3 - People who DO NOT wash their gym clothes and smell RANCID!!!

4 - People who hold traffic in the parking lot because they want to get a spot right next to the door.
You laZy bastard! WALK!!!

5 -
Blatantly Using Equipment Incorrectly

6 - Warming up with windmill arm circles in everybody's way...If you hit me I'm going to lay you out buddy!

7 - People at the water fountain who make you wait while they fill their entire Nalgene bottle up.


8 - Unnecessary nakedness....while engaging in lengthy conversations....while blow drying body parts....LOL

9 - People reading on cardio equipment. Your not doing anything !

10 - Groups of people who setup Crossfit routines right in the middle of the gym, hogging equipment while sometimes even having a laptop to watch..REALLY?

Friday, November 9, 2012

So you want to be a TRAINER, huh?! 5 TIPS TO KNOW

Everybody wants to be a trainer! I've been interviewing countless candidates and it blows me away how unqualified the majority of these people are!


It seems like being a trainer is the "cool" job to have these days and I feel I have to stand up for us who dedicate so much more to our trade. I never sought out to be a trainer. I was working my ass off training hard and one of the sales managers convinced me that I should go ahead and get certified and work for him since I was always up there anyway.
That was some of the best advice I've ever taken in my life because I love my job and there is none like it. I get paid to tell people what to do! Lol!
Thank You Marcel!

That brings me to another point. LA Fitness is known as having crappy trainers but it is a great business to get started in and get your feet wet. Marcel did things right and had me shadow the best trainer there, Marwane, and I learned how to do 30 min sessions right!
In order for that client to get any results in that short amount of time, you need to move quick and bust their ass...(safely)
30 sec rest and keep it moving with multi-joint exercises mixed in with cardio.
For example - Squat/Shoulder presses x 20 right into Jacknives x 20...right into lunge/curls x 20.....then you let them rest for 30 seconds and then keep it moving...


1 - First of all, if you are not certified in SOMETHING, then bounce! You insult me!

2 - If I ask you to show me proper form on a Deadlift and you do a lunge.....What makes you think I'm going to trust you with my clients who I've worked hard to earn the trust of? So read your books and know what you are talking about. There is so much misinformation out there that the last thing I need is another "trainer" giving bad advice. Knowledge is Power.

3 - Look the part! Practice what you preach! Part of your job is to be a motivator and lead by example. Sure some people hire trainers just to have a friend but most genuinely want your help and end up being your friend in the process. It is hard for them to dump you at that point but they suffer in the end because they aren't getting the results they hoped for because they are out partying and eating bad.


4 - Hold your clients accountable!
Their progress reflects on you! I have fired clients because I could tell they just didn't take it serious enough to get anywhere.
It makes me look bad if you have been with me for 6 months with no change.
It's not all about the money for me and I will drop your ass or put you with another trainer who would be happy to just talk with you. Don't be that trainer! Keep the intensity up and make sure they are sweating and giving their all.
There must be a certain degree of insensitivity in this business. You have to laugh at pain and learn to love getting cursed at...Told you there was no job like this! Hahaha.

5 - Don't touch your clients so much Jeez! Some of you are just pervs trying to get a date. I know who you are by the constant hamstring stretching..
I have dated a total of 2 of my thousands of clients. It's not what I'm in this business to do. I know stretching at the end of a session is beneficial but come on people....me, if I have 30 min with a client, it is time to WORK! I'll tell them to do their warmup and stretching on their own.

Well I hope this gives you some things to work on.....





Tuesday, November 6, 2012

iPhone Screen Repair Attempt


You might have seen my Facebook post where I proclaimed that I was about to see how hard it could be to repair my own cracked iPhone 4S screen.

Hahahhahahahaha

Long story short, I now have an iPhone 5!!!! LOL!!!!


Instead of shelling out $100 to one of the authorized service places, I decided to order the kit from eBay for $30 and do it myself.

It came in the mail in about 3 days and I immediately ripped it open and got to work!

As soon as I got the 2 bottom screws out, I realized I was going to need some instructions.

Good ol YouTube to the rescue....

I followed along just enough to get to where I got the back plate off and then continued my dissection!
Fun! Fun! Fun!
Everything was going fine until it was time to remove the battery
They glue the battery down so you have to pry it off. Good thing I have muscles right? lol

*WARNING - This is where I screwed up! I wasn't careful enough with the delicate connection to the motherboard and broke the soldering off completely!



If it wasn't for this right here, I would have successfully fixed the screen and saved myself ~$70.....

OUCH!

So I finished replacing the screen anyway and despite losing a few screws, (who needs all of them ?? :) ) I put it back together.

First stop was a nearby store called LifeLine to see if they could fix it:



They told me I was out of luck and I basically destroyed my phone and nobody could fix that because it required micro soldering. He told me I could probably pay apple $200 for an out of warranty repair. Okay! that sucks....next stop Apple Store!

I got there and there was a huge line going outside for people waiting to buy the iPhone 5. 
Crazy People!!! :)
I walked in and asked one of the "genius'" what my options were. I was totally honest with him and told him a opened it up and tried to fix it myself. He told me I basically created a $600 paperweight.

I did some google searches on repairing the broken part myself. I have a recording engineering background where we took some soldering classes so this doesn't scare me....One of the forums pointed to this place....

So the moral the story is 

DO NOT REPAIR A BROKEN SCREEN YOURSELF!

and BE WARY OF CRAIGSLIST FIXERS!

I came across several stories of people taking their screens in to unauthorized service centers and having them doing the exact same thing I did during the repair and then telling them sorry, we don't cover this!
I would flip out!

Do yourself a favor and pay the $100 to a place like the LifeLine Store I went to afterwards or just bring it to Apple.

Options:

  • Sell to a store that buys broken iPhones (iPhone antidote was the highest paying I could find)
  • Sell on Ebay AS IS and hope I can get more than $125
  • Pay $60 + $20 replacement battery cost to get it functioning again and then sell for ~$300-$400.
  • Learn to micro solder, order the parts and fix it myself and then sell.

I'm leaning toward option 3. 
What do you think???



UPDATE-Nov 21st:
shipped out yesterday to iBroke......Realized I was going to have to pay for a battery replacement as well since I tore the cord as well...



Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Nov 12th PHOTO SHOOT

Time to buckle down and pull it all together now! I hired an awesome photographer to work with me in the very near future!

I found this guy on Facebook after seeing that the winner of the Mr. Georgia bodybuilding competition hired him... I really like his work ad was excited to hear he would be back in Atlanta in Nov.

His name is Jeff Sygo.
Check out his website. He does awesome work!
Jeff@symiphotography.com

He is going to get the professional shots I've been needing to finally submit to talent agencies and see if I can make my dream of getting paid to workout come true.

I think being a fitness model would be the coolest job ever, (I've outgrown trying to be a rapper! Lol....well atleast for now ;) I mean working out 2 hours a day and dedicating myself to always eating clean doesn't sound so bad to me.

I'm not sure who this guy is but his picture is my current inspiration and reminder that I'm not where I need to be yet....

So with that being said, time to get on this elliptical machine and make the sweat drip !

The hardest part about this next week is going to be eating super clean so I'm going to post more on that later..

Make sure you follow my blog to get the updates as they come!!

11/17-weight 197 post workout and sauna

11/18-weight 195

Sunday, October 28, 2012

KSU Iron Owl 3 - Bench 405 / Deadlift 565 - WINNER

Well I'm on a roll now! One more contest out of the way and under my belt!
Just competed in the Kennesaw State University Iron Owl III Weight Lifting Competition
 that I have been hoping I would be able to keep my strength up for after cutting down for that fitness competition 2 weeks ago...

 
I WON!!!

 
I ended up winning for my weight class (I weighed in at 197) and winning for the overall as well!
This was a lot of fun and I'm glad I had my friends there to support me and push me to try for even more. I had no intentions of trying for 405 on the bench but I'm sure glad I did! Once I hit my 385 on my second lift, I decided to just go for it and once you are under that bar, there is no doubt at all in your head....You just MOVE!
 
Here is the song I had on when I made both of these lifts...

 
You gotta hyped up when moving that kind of weight and when that beat drops....It's GO TIME!
 
I ended up setting 2 new personal records on both the bench and deadlift. I tried for 600 pounds on deadlift but it just wasn't budging!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Weigh In Time!!!

8am - on my way to KSU for my weigh in.....
I'll be stopping by LA Fitness first for one last cardio session and sit in the sauna to double check that I'm 199 before heading to the college for the official weigh.

I was 204 last night when I left work so this had better be a lot of water!!!

Should be cutting it close but I'll make it happen if I don't eat and just do cardio all day! Lol

8:41 - Scale here says 203 with shoes on! :)

9:45 - not sure how but its reading 199....headed out !!

10:15 - official weight in was 197!!!! Yes!!! It's going down!

Headed to EAT now...

Monday, October 22, 2012

10 Pounds to go....

If we are really going to achieve your goals 100%....I need to know WHY. There has to be a drive behind it all, where when you are in pain and ready to give up, you suck it up and keep it moving! Find your motivation and focus on it!!!


20 min Treadmill
Incline 15
Lv 10 - 0:30 / Lv 3 - 1:00
180 Floors on the Stairmaster Lv 20

LEGS with Nicole

Leg Press
Squat
Sumo Squat
Kickback Machine


ROUND 2:
Step Ups
Leg Ext
Leg Curls

Not Dead...Can't Quit

Let's Get It!!!!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Drop 10 pounds in a week

After doing the Fall Fit Fest Competition I went a little crazy on my celebration, eating Little Debbie Snack cakes and any kind of sugary snack I could find! After spending all that time staying lean, my muscles seemed to just soak all the carbs in as glycogen!

I've been feeling pretty strong after eating like that but now I need to try to cut my weight to under 200 pounds for this weight lifting competition. If I stay under 200, I think I can win the overall prize for my weight class again....

Right now, Im weighing in at 212!!!!!!
This should be fun!

Today I'm just lifting calves and doing about 30 min of cardio.....
Seated Calves 4 Sets x 12-20
Leg Press Calves 4 Sets x 15-20
Treadmill Lv 3 - 5 Min
Intervals 3 Down / 10,10,11,11,12 Up
1 min intervals

Well that was the plan!!'
Until I broke 3 treadmills at La Fitness !!
WTH?!?!


Then it's on to prepping my meals for the week.

STAY TUNED TO SEE HOW IT'S DONE!

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Jay Jackson - CSAC TRAINER - FULL BODY WORKOUT



Jay Jackson - CSAC TRAINER
Jay and I were setting up for Anger Management today and I had a quick second to get some shots. 
Here is a Full body workout from Colony Square Athletic Club's Jay Jackson!!!



Set your timer for 1:00 ON / 0:30 OFF - Try to COMPLETE 2 ROUNDS.

With a proper Warmup and BURNOUT Set at the end, this workout will SHRed you up quick!


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Thursday, October 18, 2012

From Shredded to Strong

Well I'm going to be trying for a MAX Squat next Sat so I guess I better get back to lifting heavy!
It's actually been years since I've tried anything over 405.
I usually just rep out 315 or sometimes 365. I just never felt the need to go any heavier.
I save the really heavy stuff for leg press most of the time.
Judging by the video, I'm going to have to go a little deeper for the lift to count but so far, so good!

The weight is 455

KSU Competition Workout Split

Here is the plan.....

Today - LEGS (Squat and Deadlift)
Friday - Chest / Tri
Sat - Back / Bi
Sun - OFF

Mon - Legs
Tue - Chest / Tri / Shd
Wed - Back / Bi
Thur - Cardio
Fri - WEIGH IN from 9-5
Sat - SHOW TIME!!!!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

That's What She Said Sports Interviews Thomas Murphy




Here is my interview with Nicole Monique! She was a training client of mine from when I worked at Kennesaw State University back in 2008-2009. We had a lot of fun working out then and have kept in touch all of these years. 



"TWSSSports, csac, fitness, personal trainer"


Recently she came down to visit my new gym in Atlanta, Colony Square Athletic Club to try out our team training classes which we offer for $97/month for unlimited classes!
"personal trainer, thomas murphy, csac"










Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Healthy On The Go!!

Grilled Chicken Breakfast Burrito (grilled, no cheese)

KSU Weight Lifting Competition Prep

Ok...time to shift gears! Now I've got to get strong. Next Sat I'll be competing for Max Bench, Max Deadlift, Max Squat, Bench for reps, within weight classes.

I'll be trying to come in right under 200lbs...

So to start the day off,
just a little cardio. I'm going to chill out on the cardio a little so I can work on keeping my strength up.

Finished off lifting BACK today...
D Rows
Pulldowns
T-Bar Rows
Seated Row 1 Arm
1 Arm Pulldowns
Cable Bent Rows

6-12 Reps / 3 Sets

Fall Fit Fest Fitness Competition

Well I ended placing 3rd!
Not too bad for having no idea how to pose!
I'll be back to claim that top spot soon!